Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Devil Can Wait

The Devil Can Wait by Marta Stephens

What was this book about?
Several teenagers have turned up washed up and dead. Sam Harper needs to figure out what is going on and why. As additional murders crop up he figures out that it all seems to be connected to this so-called cursed black pearl ring that used to be the ring of a pope.

Can Sam find out in time whether the curse is real? Can he figure out how the ring is connected to the teenagers? What about Jennifer Blake, the writer who gets involved with the ring's story and ends up risking her life to find out the truth of it?

What did you think about the book?
There was a lot going on in the book. The first character that I really liked - you saw a little bit of and then nothing else happened. So that was a bit disappointing to me.

I have never read any of the other Sam Harper books that Marta Stephen's has written so I don't know if I had read them - if I would have liked Sam more - or gotten to know him better.

The mystery part of it - figuring out who had killed the teenagers and why, was interesting. And there was a lot of promise in the sub-plot of the cursed black pope ring. I think it was just all put together a little too quickly. You kept finding new characters and another sub-plot going on before I was totally ready to focus on something else.

So if you want a fast paced book that has a touch of mystery and action this is probably a good one for you.

What genre would you consider this?
Mystery

Overall:

Question for You!
Do you believe in prophesies?

4 comments:

Aaron Paul Lazar said...

Hi, Book Maniac. Glad you got a chance to meet "Sam Harper," one of my new favorite detectives. I'm hooked on his series and love seeing the books get out there. I especially loved the Sam/Jennie scenes, but also found myself wanting more scenes with Sam's dad, Walt. I think the author should feature him in his own book soon! Isn't it great when characters spin off into their own series? Sometimes they just walk right out of the book and demand the attention!

I do that with LeGarde Mysteries - I've written nine, and each book gets to feature a new character (outside the family) and also focuses on at least one of the family/friends. It keeps it interesting!

Cheryl said...

Great point Aaron. I would love to see Walt in his own book too.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Devil Can Wait". If anyone wants to read my review they can go to http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2008/12/devil-can-wait-by-marta-stephens-book.html

Cheryl

LA Pritchett said...

You asked: "Do you believe in prophesies?"

I answer: In a word, "Maybe?!"

It's a question of the ancients that blurs all to easily into the realities of today's headlines in THE DEVIL CAN WAIT.

Thank you for sharing your intriguing look into Det. Sam Harper's world - 2 thumbs up :-)

I also invite you to see my review at:

http://mysterycrimefiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_devil_can_wait_by_marta_stephens

LAPritchett

Kathryn Magendie said...

yes, more Sam! I agree and said so in my own review for Roses & Thorns.

I, as Lazar said, would love more interaction between father and son - those were some of my favorite parts.

I was, however, impressed with the writing quality. I sensed a sincerity in the writing, too.

Mainly, anytime a book arouses discussion, that's always a good thing!

Nice blog, by the way.